How To Fix Slow File Explorer In Windows 11

Published 2022-10-11

File Explorer, the file management app of Windows, is something that most Windows users work with daily. However, if you want to give third-party file manager software a spin, you can choose from these.

That being said, one of the reasons why you may be raring to make that switch could be because your File Explorer or Windows Explorer takes forever to load or is too slow to perform operations. And this issue has not just hit Windows 10 but even Windows 11 users as well.

Why Is My File Explorer Slow?

First, you might be scratching your head and wondering what is it that’s making my File or Windows Explorer crawl like a snail, right? There could be multiple reasons. Let’s just quickly enlist a few of them

Unwanted apps pinned to the Quick Access list.
Problems with Indexing Options.
Windows background optimization is hindering File Explorer’s functions.
Too many services and apps running in the background.
Your File Explorer’s search history is overloaded.

Now that you know why your File Explorer might be slow, it’s time to jump into action and fix your slow File Explorer.

What To Do If Windows File Explorer Is Slow?

1. Restart File Explorer

One of the first ways to speed up a slow File Explorer is to restart it. This step can especially prove to be very useful in case you have opened many File Explorer windows –

Open Task Managerby pressing ctrl + shift + esc and hit Enter.
Locate the Windows Explorer.
Right-click on it and then click on Restart.

2. Clear File Explorer Search History

Your File Explorer’s search history and Quick Access are two very useful parts, yet, there are times when they can slow down the File Explorer. You can try clearing the File Explorer search history and Quick Access.

Open File Explorer.
Click on the three horizontal dots from the top-right.
SelectOptions.
Set Open File Explorer to This PC.

Under Privacy, uncheck all three boxes as shown in the screenshot below and click on the Clearbutton next to Clear File Explorer history.

Click on Apply and then OK.

3. Remove Folders From the Quick Access List

If you use Quick Access and don’t want to disable it completely, you can unpin those folders you don’t need. This might help you in case File Explorer takes forever to load. Here are the steps to do just that –

Open File Explorer.
Locate the redundant or problematic folder in the Quick access.
Right-click on it and select Unpin from Quick access.

4. Close All Background Process That You Don’t Need

If your File Explorer is loading slowly, one of the reasons could be that too many apps or processes are running in the background. You can get rid of such apps and processes with the help of the Task Manager. Here are the steps to do that –

Click open Task Manager.
Select App or Background processes that you don’t require and are still running.
Right-click on it and then click on End Task.

5. Troubleshoot Windows Search, and Indexing Service

Windows Search and Indexing service can help enhance the search performance of your File Explorer. However, they might interfere with File Explorer’s search. In that case, you can employ the inbuilt troubleshooter. To do that –

Search for Control Panel in the Windows search bar and click on Open from the right-hand side.
When the Control Panel window opens, click on the View bydropdown and select Small icons.
Select Indexing Options.
Click on Troubleshoot search and indexing from the bottom.
In the next window, select Search or indexing is slow and click on Next.

6. Change Folder Optimization

Quite like Windows 10; Windows 11 to performs optimization tasks in the background. Sometimes the optimization might prove to be counterproductive, and it may slow down File Explorer. Here the best bet is to change the Folder Optimization. To do that, follow the steps mentioned below –

Right-click on the problematic folder that’s slowing down your File Explorer.
Select Properties.
Click on the Customize.
Click on the dropdown under Optimize this folder for:and set it to General items.
Click on the checkbox beneath that says Also apply this template to all subfolders.
Click on Apply and then OK.

You Could Try This Optimization Instead!

If the issue has arisen because of some common PC problems which you are otherwise not able to detect, you can give an optimization tool like Advanced System Optimizer a try. Apart from being a powerful RAM and Junk Cleaner, Advanced System Optimizer is a specialist in optimizing your PC for supreme performance. Looking for more reasons to download Advanced System Optimizer, check this post out.

How To Use Advanced System Optimizer?

1. Download, install and run Advanced System Optimizer.

2. Click on Home from the left-hand pane.

3. Click on Smart PC Care and wait for the scan to get over.

4. Once the scan is over, you will be able to see the issues that need to be addressed.

5. Click on the Optimize button.

Now, check whether your File Explorer is still functioning slowly or not.

Wrapping Up

We hope that after you have tried the methods above, your File Explorer will not take forever to load. If you have been able to fix your slow File Explorer, let us know in the comments section which of the above methods helped you out. For more such content, keep reading WeTheGeek.